Oslo , Norway -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Anders Behring Breivik 's defense counsel had warned that the self-confessed killer would show no remorse . And that was clear from the start .

No sooner were his handcuffs removed in the than he raised his arm in a fascist-style salute -- a symbol , to quote his wordy manifesto , of `` strength , power and defiance against Marxist tyrants . ''

He announced he did not believe in the authority of the Oslo court . His plea then followed : not guilty , though he acknowledged his acts . He claimed he was acting `` from necessity . ''

Rampage suspect says he acted to save Norway

He sat in the court on the first day of the trial Monday wearing a suit , no handcuffs , no restraints , no cage as you might see in other countries -- not even for a mass murderer .

There were smiles and handshakes with the psychiatrists and prosecution at the start . The only barrier was bullet-proof glass between him and the family members , built to protect him rather than the other way around .

This is after all Norway , a country that prides itself on its liberal values . It is a country that has endeavored , as the Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg promised shortly after the attacks last year , to respond with `` more openness , more democracy and more humanity '' to these most inhuman of crimes which left 77 people dead .

And that is what they are doing -- taking pride in the fact they are a society who will respect Breivik 's human rights , even when he showed no respect for the lives of others .

This is why Geir Lippestad , Breivik 's defense lawyer , took on this most difficult of jobs . `` I remember I woke up my wife , or she woke up by the same telephone call , '' he told reporters back in March.Â `` She 's a nurse and she said ` if he had arrived at the hospital with gunshot wounds , the doctors and nurses would have helped him , they 'd do their job.Â You are a lawyer , so do n't you want to do your job ? ' ''

`` He was so close to having a bullet between his eyes , the police were so close , '' said Jorn Overby , who rescued 15 people from the waters off Utoya island on the fateful evening of July 22 , 201 .

When I press him about whether he felt that would have been the best thing for him , he replied : `` I owe him a punch in the face for firing at me . '' But his desire for revenge stops there . `` He will get the treatment he needs , '' he said .

These are people who would prefer never to have to speak Breivik 's name again .

On the Dagbladet website you can now press a button to opt out of news relating to the deadly attacks . There is a sense the people of Norway want to see due process done and then move on . They are a people who believe their system works , which is why no matter how unspeakable his crimes and how hard these months are and will continue to be , Breivik has not been able to break them .

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No sooner were his handcuffs removed than Anders Breivik raised his arm in a salute

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`` I acknowledge the acts but do not plead guilty , '' he told the court

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Magnay : He showed no remorse for the killing of 77 in Norway last year

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Rescuer tells CNN : Breivik was so close to having a bullet between his eyes